The Ocean Sunfish (Mola mola) has to be one of the strangest fish in the world. It's huge, flat body without an obvious tail make it appear unrelated to other, more familiar fish species. But taxonomist place the Ocean Sunfish in the order Tetraodaontiformes, which includes pufferfish.
When compared with the typical puffers such as the figure-eight puffer, commonly found in pet stores, it is difficult to find obvious similarities. The figure-eight puffer has a round, chubby body, a longer tail. The Ocean Sunfish is flattened along its vertical access and displays a great degree of symmetry along its horizontal access giving the top and bottom halves a mirror image appearance.
But when compared to another puffer species, the bronze puffer, the similarities are more evident. The bronze puffer is more laterally compressed than the figure-eight puffer, and shows a much greater degree of symmetry in the dorsal and anal fins.
Other features of the Ocean Sunfish also indicate its close affinity with puffers. The structure of the mouth is one example. The larvae of fish from both groups are also very similar.
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